Potentially crazy, wide-open 2022 season: 32 NFL storylines entering Week 1
Each year brings new intriguing storylines and situations for all 32 NFL teams. The 18-week, 272-game 2022 regular season is no different. The 103rd NFL season officially begins Thursday night as the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams host the Buffalo Bills. The Rams and Bills are considered contenders, but there are sure to be some surprises on the road to Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona.
To kick off the NFL season, USA TODAY Sports explores the situation for each team beginning with the AFC East.
Like so many times before, it's going to be an unpredictable and wild season.
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are the only team in the NFL to have a top-five offense and defense last season. Buffalo’s heartbreaking overtime loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round last year is likely going to haunt it until it gets over the hump and reaches the Super Bowl. Kansas City has sent Buffalo packing the past two years.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins surrounded Tua Tagovailoa with Tyreek Hill, Chase Edmonds, Terron Armstead and hired an innovative offensive mind in head coach Mike McDaniel. There’s pressure on Tagovailoa to live up to his top-five pick status.
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New England Patriots
Bill Belichick ranks third all-time with 321 total victories as a head coach. He’s inching closer to Don Shula’s record of 347 career wins. The Patriots will be well-coached under Belichick, but is there enough talent across the board to earn a second consecutive playoff trip?
New York Jets
Zach Wilson’s preseason knee injury was a scare, but he’ll be back within the first month. The Jets drafted Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall to give the second-year Wilson more weapons. The Jets have the longest active playoff drought in the NFL at 11 seasons.
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore’s projected 2021 starters missed a combined 114 games due to injury or illness, causing the team to miss the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. Will Lamar Jackson and company have better luck staying healthy in 2022?
Cincinnati Bengals
Only eight teams in NFL history have made a return trip to the Super Bowl a year after losing football’s ultimate game. Can the Bengals defy the odds? They revamped their offensive line to protect Joe Burrow, who was sacked 70 times last season, the third most in league history.
Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson’s return is undoubtedly going to hover over the Browns until he’s eligible to return in Week 13 – in Houston of all places. Cleveland’s offense will rely on the Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt running back tandem in Watson’s absence. Cleveland ranked fifth in the NFL in both total defense and pass defense last season.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mitch Trubisky is the Day 1 starter, but his leash figures to be short as rookie Kenny Pickett waits. No matter who is under center, Najee Harris will have a prominent role on offense. T.J. Watt and the defense led the league with 55 sacks last year.
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans
Texans coach Lovie Smith said quarterback Davis Mills is their guy but this year feels like an extended audition for the Stanford product. The 2023 quarterback draft class is deep which is enticing for a team in rebuild mode.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts had a league-high seven Pro Bowlers last year but failed to reach the playoffs. In comes quarterback Matt Ryan after 14 seasons in Atlanta. Ryan should stabilize an offense that features 2021 rushing champ Jonathan Taylor.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville endured a tumultuous season with Urban Meyer at the helm. Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson looks like he’s the right man to lead a franchise with a young promising quarterback to go with an emerging roster. The Jaguars haven’t had a winning record since 2017.
Tennessee Titans
How long can Ryan Tannehill keep his job over rookie Malik Willis, who flashed in the preseason? Derrick Henry is back healthy after only playing in eight games last year. However, the team lost A.J. Brown via trade and Harold Landry to injury.
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos
The Broncos traded for Russell Wilson and then gave him the third most lucrative contract in NFL history. Can Wilson and new coach Nathaniel Hackett aid in Denver’s quest to return to prominence? Denver hasn't earned a playoff berth since 2015. It’s the longest active playoff drought in the AFC West.
Kansas City Chiefs
It’s going to be intriguing to witness Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes reinvent the Chiefs offense without Tyreek Hill. Kansas City has won the AFC West six consecutive years, but the division transformed into a juggernaut over the offseason. The Chiefs are the fifth team in NFL history to win at least 12 regular-season games in four consecutive seasons.
Las Vegas Raiders
Davante Adams and Derek Carr were prolific as teammates at Fresno State. Can they replicate the same magic with the Raiders? New coach Josh McDaniels has a talented team that looks ready to battle in the fierce AFC West. The Raiders won six games on the final play of regulation or overtime.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers constructed one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, but can this revamped team make the playoffs for the first since 2018? Justin Herbert has the most passing yards and touchdown passes for a quarterback in his first two seasons but his superb production hasn’t translated to a playoff berth. Defense and special teams are the preeminent reasons why the Chargers haven't earned a postseason invite.
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys
Despite committing an NFC-high 121 penalties in 2021, the Cowboys won the division. Dallas is attempting to become the first back-to-back NFC East winner since the Eagles did it in 2003-2004. Mike McCarthy could get a pink slip if Dallas fails to play postseason football.
New York Giants
Former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was hired as coach to resurrect the Giants offense. The good news? The Giants had the No.1 offense in the preseason (382.7 yards per game). This year is presumably Daniel Jones' final chance to prove he’s the answer at QB in New York. Jones' success hinges on if Saquon Barkley can have a resurgent year.
Philadelphia Eagles
A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and Miles Sanders might be the best collection of skill position players in the NFC East. However, Philadelphia needs consistency out of Jalen Hurts to be successful. The Eagles are on the heels of a season in which they had a franchise record and NFL-leading 2,715 rushing yards and a top 10 defense.
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Washington Commanders
Washington hasn’t had a winning record since 2016. Do a new name and new quarterback mean a change of fortune? Washington has had six different starting quarterbacks since the start of the 2020 season.
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears
New GM Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus are banking on Justin Fields’ continued development. Fields’ NFC-leading 133.1 passer rating in the preseason is a positive sign. Fields, David Montgomery and Darnell Mooney give the Bears a solid trio on offense to build around. On defense, the loss of Khalil Mack hurts but veteran Robert Quinn is coming off a season where he led the NFC with 18.5 sacks.
Detroit Lions
The Lions haven’t won a playoff game since Jan. 5, 1992. It’s the longest playoff winless streak in the NFL. The draft selections of homegrown Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams should provide some excitement and hope in Motown.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers are the first team in NFL history to win 13-plus regular-season games in three straight seasons. Green Bay will aim for four in a row, but it will have to do it without star Davante Adams. The silver lining is they still have four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, who has a chance to become the first player ever to win three straight MVPs.
Minnesota Vikings
Will new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O'Connell churn out more success in Minnesota? The Vikings haven't won the NFC North since 2017.
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons
Marcus Mariota is the new signal-caller for a Falcons team in the middle of a rebuild, but will Atlanta fully embrace the rebuild by naming rookie Desmond Ridder the starter before season’s end? The Falcons haven’t finished a season above .500 since 2017.
Carolina Panthers
Is Baker Mayfield the answer in Carolina or is he a bridge quarterback? Matt Rhule has to start winning games or else his seat will get hotter. Rhule has a 10-23 record. Christian McCaffrey, who's missed 23 of the past 33 games due to injury, is paramount to the Panthers' success.
New Orleans Saints
Dennis Allen has large shoes to fill. His former boss, Sean Payton, is the winningest coach in Saints history and led New Orleans to its first-ever Super Bowl title. The positive news is Jameis Winston and Mike Thomas are both set to return following injuries and a third consecutive season with a top-10 defense seems probable.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Todd Bowles takes over a Bucs team with Super Bowl expectations. Can 45-year-old quarterback Tom Brady continue to dodge Father Time? Brady’s pre-snap reads and quick pass game will be conducive for a Bucs offense projected to start three new interior linemen.
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals
DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for the first six games of the regular season, but the Kyler Murray and Hollywood Brown reunion in Arizona could help. The Cardinals started 7-0 last season, which was the franchise’s best start since 1974.
Los Angeles Rams
The Patriots were the last team to win consecutive Super Bowl titles (2003-2004). The Rams appear poised to make another Super Bowl run after adding Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson. It also doesn’t hurt to have the best defensive player in the NFL in Aaron Donald, who is on the verge of getting his 100th career sack. The Rams have won three NFC West title in the last five years.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers boldly decided to give the keys to Trey Lance, a quarterback who only played one full college season and has tossed just 71 NFL passes. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan cautioned that there will be some growing pains, but the team is hoping the decision doesn’t derail them from contention. Jimmy Garoppolo is still on the roster for insurance.
Seattle Seahawks
There’s been a mass exodus of talent since Seattle’s Super Bowl appearances (2013-2014 seasons). DK Metcalf is the new face of the franchise. The days of the Legion of Boom and Russell Wilson are over.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL schedule Week 1: 32 storylines for potentially crazy 2022 season
